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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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[Music] website in many ancient civilizations the oak tree was considered to be sacred some believed that the Mighty Oak
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hold great healing powers or could facilitate communication with the gods oak trees can live for hundreds of
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years it takes many years for them to Bear acorns and thus acorns are often used as a symbol of patience and
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maturity with their tall sturdy trunks Deep Roots and sprawling branches today the oak tree continues to be viewed as a
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symbol of strength power stability and protection from a young age Andrew Goen was fascinated by science A Gifted
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straight A student he effortlessly soared through school winning mathematics competitions at a European
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level his above average intellect eventually earned him a place in the United Kingdom's National Association
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for gifted and talented youth a government scheme aimed at the country's top 5% of
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students when Andrew read that an acorn planted in a tub could grow into a miniature oak tree he had to try it for
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himself he Enlisted the help of his father Kevin who was always willing to support Andrew's curiosity and and
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encourage his love of learning Kevin gathered up a few discarded acorns and together the Father
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and Son planted them into tubs at their Victorian Terrace home in BBY a suburb in England's South Yorkshire
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region now all they had to do was [Music] wait [Music] on the evening of Friday September 14
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2007 Kevin Goen and his wife glennis both returned home from work to find a typical
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scene school had only just returned after summer holidays and the couple's children 14-year-old Andrew and his
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17-year-old sister Charlotte had settled back into their familiar routines for Andrew this meant using his
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spare time to do the things he enjoyed most playing video games in his family's converted Cellar or playing snooker on
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the half-sized table in his bedroom although he had a small group of friends he spent time with at school
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Andrew was a shy quiet teen who was content with his own company he preferred spending time at home alone
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over going out and socializing and could often be found with his face buried in one of his well- read
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books when Andrew didn't surface to say hello his parents thought nothing of it they assumed Andrew was busy with one of
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his hobbies and would come out when dinner was ready dinner was always a special time for the Goen family to come
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together and connect Kevin and glennis began unpacking groceries and preparing for
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the meal they were being joined to the that evening by the family's Vicor and close
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friend Alan Murray who lived nearby the goans were Anglican but Kevin and glennis wanted their children to
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make up their own mind about religion rather than having it forced upon them because of this they never baptized
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their children and took no issue when Charlotte and Andrew both made the decision to stop attending
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church by 6:00 p.m. dinner was ready the parents called called out to their children to come and join them Charlotte
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quickly emerged from her room but there wasn't a peep from Andrew Kevin went to check Andrew's room
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as part of the teens post school routine he always hung his school Blazer and a tie on the back of his bedroom chair
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before putting his trousers and shirt in the washing machine this evening was no different
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the Blazer and tire were on the chair and the rest of Andrew's uniform was in the wash but there was no sign of him
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anywhere throughout the house Andrew was the type of person who left a note even if he was just ducking
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to the corner store but there was no note to be found although this was strange Andrew's
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parents weren't overly concerned Andrew had friends who lived nearby they assumed he'd gone to visit
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one of them and had lost track of time in Andrew didn't have a mobile phone so they couldn't call or text him
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he'd had a couple of phones in the past but had barely used them before managing
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to misplace them alog together he could be quite absent-minded at times and simply wasn't interested in
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the devices he'd even rejected his parents offer of a new one for his recent birthday requesting an Xbox gaming
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console instead the goens called the homes of Andrew's friends only to discover that
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he wasn't with any of them they were also told that Andrew hadn't been at school that day at
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all that Friday morning had started out like any other Andrew had woken a little
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later than usual but had still managed to get ready in time to catch the bus to school Andrew attended McAuley kathle K
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which was roughly 4 miles or a 15-minute bus ride from the goin's home at around 8:05 a.m. he said goodbye
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to his parents and left the house dressed in his school uniform shortly after this Vicor Alan
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Murray recalled driving by Westfield Park which was across the street from the goon's home he'd seen Andrew in his
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uniform as he passed by but hadn't thought anything of it given that the park provided a shortcut to the school
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bus stop with Andrew's uniform at home home but no sign of Andrew himself the gotin
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didn't know what to think they contacted molley High an administrator confirmed that Andrew had
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been absent that day this was entirely out of character Andrew had a 100% attendance record the
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school had even issued him certificates ATT testing to his Flawless turnout one staff member had tried
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calling the Goin that morning to notify them of Andrew's unusual absence but there hadn't been an
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answer on reflection the staff member realized they must have accidentally dialed the number listed either above or
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below Andrews on the register leaving his family out of the loop although it didn't explain why
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Andrew's uniform was at home the gozens considered the possibility that he could
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have been involved in some kind of incident on his way to school they searched the area
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surrounding their home before driving the route Andrew typically took to school there was no sign of him
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anywhere they called the local hospitals but no one fitting the teenager description had been
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admitted when there was still no sign of Andrew by 900 p.m. his family contacted
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the police the goens were absolutely certain that Andrew hadn't run away they described him as a reliable gentle and
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caring young man who would never do anything to intentionally cause them to worry according to the goens their home
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life was happy and harmonious both Kevin and glennis worked as speech therapists
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their incomes afforded them a modest yet comfortable lifestyle which included family holidays abroad to such places as
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Egypt and Tunisia as far as the goens knew Andrew had no mental health issues didn't
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experience bullying and had no other problems he might want to escape from nothing in his recent Behavior had
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been out of the ordinary if anything he had been slightly quieter and even less social
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than usual but this wasn't exactly cause for concern Andrew was the type of person
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who didn't speak unless he felt he had something worthwhile to say Kevin had recently asked his son how
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the new school year was going Andrew gave no indication that anything was a Miss if he didn't feel comfortable
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speaking to his parents for whatever reason they were sure he would confide in his sister
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Charlotte the Goen siblings had a close Bond both were highly intelligent and were on track to be accepted into
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England's most prestigious universities the pair also shared a similar taste in music favoring heavy
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metal Rock and post hardcore bands including including slipnot Funeral For A Friend Muse Evan Essence and a Dragon
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Force the evening before Andrew went missing had been unremarkable Andrew and Kevin had done a
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puzzle together before the whole family ate dinner together the father and son then washed
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the dishes afterwards Andrew watched some light-hearted television with his mother
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he'd been his normal self upon going to bed although though he had seemed slightly irritable upon waking the next
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morning while this was out of character it wasn't ca for alarm he was a teenage boy after
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all as Kevin Goen told the daily mail if Andrew was unhappy or suffering a mental illness he did an amazing job
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of hiding it Andrew's bank account revealed that after leaving home that morning he
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walked to a nearby petrol station and used the ATM to withdraw 200 of the 214 he had in
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savings a neighbor of the Goen family had a CCTV camera pointed towards the street its footage from that day
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revealed something highly unusual at around 8:30 a.m. just after Kevin and glennis left for work Andrew
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returned home min later he appeared back on the street no longer wearing his school uniform but jeans and a black
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slip knot band t-shirt he carried a black canvas Satchel adorned with band patches that
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his sister had helped him sew on nothing in Andrew's room was missing besides his wallet keys and Playstation
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portable handheld gaming console he didn't take the console's charger nor did he take a jumper despite
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the temperature drop in the September evenings to Andrew's family this indicated that he didn't intend to be
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gone for long but the fact that he ditched school and cleared his bank account without explanation left them
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completely baffled even if Andrew had run away due to his age police immediately
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categorized him as a highrisk of vulnerable missing person they focused their attention
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inwards despite his family's insistence that Andrew was a happy well adjusted teen experience had taught police that
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most young runaways were typically trying to escape from some kind of situation at
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home they sat each member of the gozen family down for an interview to see if they could uncover any signs that Andrew
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was being abused or neglected the goens were adamant that Andrew had an open and honest
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relationship with his parents who were neither strict nor controlling Kevin and glennis trusted their children
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implicitly and supported their need for individuality and Independence although police took
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Andrew's disappearance seriously of the roughly 70,000 youths under 16 who ran away in the UK each year 80% returned
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within 24 hours 91% returned within 2 days statistics indicated that it would likely be a matter of time before Andrew
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Goen returned home located 85 mil north of Doncaster the seaside town of Whitby was a much
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loved vacation spot for the Goen family Andrew adored Whitby and knew the area well if he was going to take off
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for whatever reason there was a good chance this would be the place over the weekend Friends of the
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goens traveled to Whitby to scour the area for any sign of Andrew they checked his favorite horns asking if anyone had
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seen the teen Andrew was roughly 5'3 and of slim build with medium length light brown
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hair that swept across his brown eyes most notably he wore strong prescription glasses was deaf in his
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left ear and had a double Ridge on his upper right ear unique traits that made him easily
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identifiable the weekend pass with no sightings of Andrew in either Doncaster or Whitby nor did he make contact with
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his family the goans wondered whether Andrew could have gone to London although the capital city was 170
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Mi away it could be reached by train in just under 2 hours while the bustling City could be
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seen as an intimidating place for aone shy te from the suburbs Andrew wasn't completely new to the area his family
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had friends and relatives who lived in London including Andrew's grandparents over the years the gozin
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had traveled to London numerous times Andrew knew the city well and his family thought he would feel comfortable
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navigating his way around alone although it would be entirely out of character they wondered whether
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Andrew could have made the spontaneous decision to spend the Friday in the city he'd recently mentioned having an
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in seeing the Tuton Carman Exhibition at the British museum perhaps ditching school was an
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act of teenage rebellion and he' then found himself in some kind of trouble inquiries were made with the
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local train station when the employee who had been working the sales counter on Friday
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morning was questioned she distinctly remembered serving Andrew he had bought a one-way ticket to London's King's
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cross station departing at 9:35 a.m. she recalled the interaction because Andrew looked young to be traveling
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alone but more notably he had refused her offer of a return trip even though it only cost around 50
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more multiple passengers saw Andrew on the train to London that morning there had been nothing unusual about his
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behavior he had kept his head down for the entire Journey absorbed in his PlayStation
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Portable one passenger recalled seeing Andrew disembark at King's cross station but no one could attest to where he went
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from there the task of scanning through CCTV taken from King's cross station on September 14 was given to the British
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transport police the train From Doncaster had arrived at 11:20 a.m. but finding Andrew
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gon in the crowd would be no easy feat King's cross is one of the busiest Railway stations in the United Kingdom
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with approximately 300,000 passengers passing through each day those assigned to the job were unable to locate Andrew
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among the throng the fact that Andrew had traveled to King's cross was a major Revelation
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but it raised even more questions over the summer holidays Andrew's parents had given him the
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option of going to London to stay with his grandmother but he'd refused so why go there now without
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asking for permission the Goen family got their hands on a copy of the latest edition of
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time out a free weekly guide detailing all the latest events happening in the city they scoured each page on the
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lookout for anything that might have motivated Andrew's travels Kevin had recently taken his
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children to London to watch Muse play live it was the first major Rock concert that
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Andrew had been to and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience the Goin looked into what
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other bands were playing in London on Friday September 14 2007 they considered whether Andrew
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could have taken off to the city for a weekend of music and sightseeing perhaps he was following the
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mentality of asking for forgiveness rather than permission American rock band 30 seconds
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to Mars were playing that night at Brixton Academy as far as the goons were aware
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Andrew wasn't familiar with their music a Prague metal band called 6 were playing at the ot2 Academy Islington
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which was about a 15minute walk from King's cross although the goens didn't know if
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Andrew knew of siik the band did have links to slipnot it was a significant show too
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being the last time singer Mikey Goodman would feature on the lineup furthermore Finnish Rock bear and
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him were doing an instore signing at a HMV record store on the 17th of September and Andrew was a fan of their
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music if music wasn't the motivation Andrew's parents wondered whether he could have gone to London seeking work
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experience his sister Charlotte had done so at Andrew's age it was possible he wanted to follow in her
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footsteps the fact that he only bought a one-way ticket didn't seem too strange to the
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goens perhaps he'd made a momentary error wasn't entirely sure of his plans or intended to spend the night with one
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of the family's friends or relatives the problem with this theory was that none of these people had seen
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or heard from Andrew police made inquiries with each one and found nothing to indicate that
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they'd crossed paths with the 14-year-old at the time bus and [ __ ] travel was free for children under 16 in
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London meaning Andrew would have had the means to get around town but the 200b that he taken with him
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wouldn't get him very far in terms of food and shelter this led to the possibility that
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Andrew was sleeping rough making him vulnerable to the dangers that lurked in the busy city
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streets if Andrew had left home without intending to return it didn't make sense
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that he hadn't brought a change of clothes or at the very least a warm jumper Andrew was a creature of habit
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who enjoyed home Comforts for all his intelligence he lacked Street smarts he also looked much
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younger than 14 his family didn't think he would willingly put himself in an uncomfortable dangerous
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position that led to another possibility did Andrew gden meet someone in London given that he spent most of his
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spare time at home this left him with very little opportunities to cross paths with someone outside of
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school ever since Andrew was a young boy he'd attended Boy Scouts and Church in the months leading up to his
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disappearance he'd stopped going to both for his family there was nothing suspicious about this Andrew had cited
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boredom as the reason for leaving Scouts and his parents thought he was likely just following in Charlotte's footsteps
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by stopping Church inquiries were made with members of both organizations no evidence emerged to
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indicate that Andrew stopped going for any other reasons the previous summer of 2006
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Andrew had attended summer school as part of the gifted and talented youth program it was a residential program
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that required him to spend two weeks away from home he'd embraced the experience and
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returned home in a great mood some speculated whether he could have connected with someone during this time
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but there was no evidence to support this Andrew's classmates and teachers were also unable to shed any light on
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why he traveled to London the Goen household only had one computer a laptop that Charlotte had
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recently received for her birthday Andrew had barely touched it in the 8 weeks since he'd never shown much
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interest in computers as far as his family was aware Andrew didn't even have an email
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address at the time social media was still in its infancy and Andrew had shown no desire to
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participate Facebook and Myspace were the major networking sites but Andrew didn't have an account with either
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[Music] platform examination of Charlotte's laptop failed to uncover anything to
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indicate that Andrew had been talking to anyone online he hadn't conducted any online
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searches that hinted as to why he'd traveled to London or what his intentions were once he got there
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computers used by Andrew were also seized from his school into the local Doncaster
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Library nothing was found on any of them that helped with the investigation there was no inexplicable
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activity on the Goen family's home phone line given that Andrew didn't have a mobile this meant the only other way he
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could have accessed the internet was via one of his gaming consoles Andrew's Xbox didn't have
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online capabilities but his PlayStation Portable did he would have been able to communicate with others using its text
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voice Bo saw video chat features doing so would require him to have an online account which would in
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turn require him to have an email address checks with PlayStation's producer Sony revealed no such account
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existed for Andrew Gosden the godden's worst fear was that Andrew was groomed by a pedophile or sex
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trafficker and lured to London under false pretense due to Andrew's high intelligence he was mature for his age
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and had always related particularly well to adults although Andrew had never expressed it his family considered the
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possibility that he could have been struggling with his sexual orientation and had run away because he felt ashamed
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or too awkward to come out if this was the case it could also explain why he might be more susceptible
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to Grooming by an older male but with no phone or online activity supporting this Theory it
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remained to be seen how Andrew could have come into contact with the predator in the week leading up to his
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disappearance there had been a slight change in Andrew's routine while he typically caught the
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bus to school in the new Academic Year he' twice chosen to walk instead a 4 mile trip that took around an hour and
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20 minutes on foot the teenager could have been approached by someone during this time
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he could have secretly been given a mobile phone which he used exclusively to speak with this person the two could
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have made plans to meet in London for one reason or another with the Grimmer promising Andrew a ride home hence why
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he had only bought a one-way ticket but Andrew's family told the times that these long walks could have
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just as easily been practiced for a future plan of wandering the [Music] streets Kevin and Glenn gzen traveled to
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and from London numerous times scouring the streets for their son they visited all the sites that he'd ever shown
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interest in distributing missing person posters at every Museum Train Station restaurant and homeless shelter they
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could think of they drummed up as much medor as possible doing whatever they could to
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keep Andrew's case in the public Consciousness several witnesses believed that they'd seen Andrew on the day he
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went missing one alleged sighting took place at a Pizza Hut restaurant on Oxford Street
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just a short walk from King's cross station the way this witness described the boy's mannerisms led the goens to
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believe that this sighting was credible but the police were unable to confirm it
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another witness reported seeing someone matching Andrew's description sleeping rough near London South Bank
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District another believed they'd seen Andrew at a South Bank Park near the London Assembly
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Building the goons followed up every lead visiting these locations for themselves to question locals and look
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for their son but not a single clue as to Andrew's whereabouts emerged as days passed with no
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breakthroughs officers from South Yorkshire police were sent to London to review the CCTV footage taken from
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King's cross station they scanned through hundreds of hours of recording boings before
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something finally caught their attention at 11:24 a.m. 4 minutes after the train From Doncaster arrived at
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King's cross station the unmistakable sight of Andrew Gosden in his black slip knot t-shirt emerged from the
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crowd the teenager unremarkably exited through the station's main entrance alone before disappearing from
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view by the time police uncovered this sighting inre had been missing for 27 days it was a Bittersweet Discovery for
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the Goen family they were frustrated by what they perceived to be a quote slow chaotic and disorganized police
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response King's cross essentially acts as an interchange station a plethora of other tube stations and bus stops are
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located there including an international station with links to other parts of Europe the existing CCTV footage only
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confirmed that Andrew disembarked the train in London it gave no indication as to his movements from there Andrew
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hadn't taken his passport with him making it unlikely that he traveled onwards to another country but it was
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entirely possible that he could have gotten off one train and have strayed on to
00:28:49
another London is considered to be one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world according to some sources the
00:28:57
the average person living in London can be caught on CCTV up to 300 times per day but to the dismay of the Goen family
00:29:06
police hadn't requested to check the footage from any other cameras by the time requests were made
00:29:13
to view CCTV footage owned by local authorities no such footage existed as was protocol recordings were
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only kept for a certain number of days before the tapes were wiped clean by Wednesday October 17 over a month had
00:29:34
passed with no word from Andrew as reported on the BBC television program missing live a woman named
00:29:42
Philippa was standing on a busy street in London's Covent Garden District when she noticed a passer by Who Bore
00:29:49
similarities to Andrew Goen philipper approached the boy and tried to engage him in conversation
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marking that he looked like the missing teenager the boy denied being Andrew Goen but Philip's curiosity was peaked
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she followed the boy until losing sight of him near a cafe called The Poetry Place philipper reported this potential
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sighting to police according to the goens it wasn't followed up until 6 weeks later the location where philipper spoke
00:30:24
to the boy was outside of an office building CCTV cameras were fitted to the entrance of the building but weren't
00:30:32
working at the time the alleged interaction took place when shown a picture of Andrew
00:30:38
Gosden an employee at the Poetry Place thought she might have seen him in the cafe in the company of two girls
00:30:46
although she acknowledged it could have just been someone who looked similar as many teenage boys in the area had a
00:30:52
similar trendy haircut whether Philip's sighting was legit it or not couldn't be
00:31:00
ascertained reported sightings of Andrew continued to come in some from as far as
00:31:05
South Wales according to Kevin gden the police were either slacked to respond to these
00:31:12
leads or didn't follow them up at all Kevin believed that their focus remained on uncovering why Andrew had
00:31:20
left home rather than what happened from there as Christmas approached the police asked
00:31:30
to question Kevin Goen under caution for Kevin this was the last straw he was convinced that the reason
00:31:39
police weren't making a greater effort to find his son was because they were wasting their time and resources on
00:31:45
investigating him as the prime suspect in Andrew's disappearance a thought nwed away at
00:31:52
Kevin what if he removed himself from the picture forcing the police to to focus on the search for his son
00:32:02
instead one day in the leadup to Christmas Vicor Alan Murray went to the goin's house with some food eager to
00:32:09
help in any way he could as Alan approached the door he heard a crashing noise coming from
00:32:17
inside he let himself in using a spare key there Alan found Kevin Goen hanging from the upstairs
00:32:26
ballustrade he managed to cut Kevin down and Rush him to hospital where it took 7
00:32:31
hours before he regained Consciousness Kevin spent the next few months receiving treatment in a mental
00:32:39
health facility telling the Yorkshire post I cannot begin to describe the depths of misery that this
00:32:48
involved no amount of therapy helped because the situation was unresolvable strained but under deterred
00:32:57
the goens continued doing all they could to keep Andrew's case in the spotlight appearing on numerous television and
00:33:04
radio shows and speaking to any reporter willing to listen Kevin became the family's
00:33:10
spokesperson establishing a website dedicated to the case titled help us find Andrew where he shared news along
00:33:18
with photos of Andrew's happy childhood and a blog posts about the impact of him
00:33:22
being missing police ultimately found no evidence to indicate that the gozens were anything other than the close-knit
00:33:30
loving and supportive family that they described themselves to be a friend of Andrews who had known the
00:33:37
Goen family for 10 years told the Daily Mail people wonder if something was happening at home but I know for a fact
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that's not true they're one of the nicest families I [Music] know this made Andrew goon's dis
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appearance all the more baffling according to his teachers Andrew had been a shoe in for Cambridge
00:34:04
University but despite his intelligence he' had never been particularly enthusiastic about his
00:34:10
studies the way Kevin saw it Andrew viewed school as a necessity to ensure he had choices in the
00:34:17
future maybe he'd gotten bored or frustrated with the conventional path set out for him and had run away to
00:34:24
start a new life one of Andrew's favorite television shows was the rise and fall of Reginald
00:34:32
perin the British sitcom was about a man who faked his own death to escape the Daily
00:34:39
Grind prior to his disappearance Andrew had also been reading the work of famous
00:34:44
philosopher Fredick nicher he encouraged people to be free thinkers find their own values and Stand
00:34:52
Out Among the masses as his mother told the teleg gra maybe Andrew wanted to step off the
00:35:02
treadmill but the theory that Andrew had run away to start a new life didn't quite fit those close to Andrew knew him
00:35:10
to be nothing but sweet and thoughtful they didn't think he was capable of putting his family through
00:35:16
such immense suffering four months before Andrew vanished 3-year-old meline mccan went
00:35:23
missing from her family's holiday Villa in Portugal the story had dominated the news in the
00:35:30
UK Kevin and Andrew had spoken about how awful it was if Andrew wanted to disappear for good those close to him
00:35:38
felt sure that he'd have left a note or made some kind of contact by now on top of the fact that he didn't
00:35:46
bring more personal belongings with him was the fact that he hadn't brought more
00:35:51
money although Andrew had essentially cleared out his bank account he'd left almost 100 in birthday money untouched
00:35:58
in his bedroom the family also kept a box full of emergency cash for bus fairs and the
00:36:05
like but Andrew hadn't taken any of it given Andrew's age and the fact that he looked even younger than his 14 years
00:36:14
it was unlikely that he could have secured legitimate work or started a new life without adult
00:36:21
help his disappearance was also highly publicized if Andrew was squatting somewhere sleeping rough or had gotten
00:36:29
caught up with the wrong crowd it seemed mindboggling that someone somewhere wouldn't have recognized
00:36:37
him before Andrew went missing he'd expressed his desire to grow his hair long and diet black if he was trying to
00:36:46
evade detection he could have just as easily shaved his head or bleached his hair blonde even if he did alter his
00:36:53
looks there was no getting away from the unique double rib bridge on his upper right
00:36:59
ear that led to the next possibility the reason that Andrew hadn't made contact or being found was
00:37:07
because he was no longer alive if Andrew was indeed being groomed he might have been kidnapped upon his
00:37:19
arrival to London it could have been part of a carefully orchestrated plan involving one or multiple perpet Traders
00:37:27
which ultimately ended in Andrew being held captive or killed but if Andrew had fallen victim
00:37:34
to fair play it wasn't necessarily a premeditated attack it was just as possible that Andrew had traveled to
00:37:42
London of his own accord simply to have an adventure he could have had every intention of returning home without his
00:37:49
family finding out before crossing paths with the wrong person Andrew's age and the fact that he
00:37:57
was traveling alone would have made him particularly vulnerable to opportunistic
00:38:01
criminals he could have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong or placed his trust in a stranger who ultimately
00:38:08
caused him harm alternatively his death could have been the result of an accident if Andrew hadn't voluntarily
00:38:17
run away Fallen victim to fair play or been involved in an accident it left just one other
00:38:25
possibility Andrew had never shown any signs of depression or self harm regardless the
00:38:32
possibility that he could have taken his own life was considered Andrew had always been a deep
00:38:40
thinker while it seemed Unthinkable to his family it was possible that Andrew had an inner world that he'd never
00:38:47
revealed to anyone else perhaps he'd gone to London to spend one final day enjoying some of his
00:38:53
favorite sites before ending things for good saving his family the trauma of discovering his
00:39:01
body this could explain why he only bought a one-way ticket and hadn't bothered to bring a jacket or the
00:39:07
charger for his PlayStation Portable yet it didn't explain why he'd taken his keys or why he hadn't left a
00:39:15
note for his family whom he knew would be worried sick most significantly it didn't
00:39:22
explain the absence of a body the family remained insistent that Andrew hadn't been bullied his sister
00:39:31
Charlotte attended the same school and was an active member of an anti-bullying program it was an issue often discussed
00:39:38
at the family dinner table and Andrew had never mentioned any problems this was supported by one of
00:39:45
Andrew's teachers who told the times Andrew is deep and mature Beyond his years he's quite happy and
00:39:53
self-contained in his own company but he's not alone owner he always had a little posy of friends with
00:40:00
him likewise the school principal said Andrew is a very likable self-facing boy no one's got a bad word to say about him
00:40:11
this is not the sort of school where you can get lost in the system if there had
00:40:16
been any bullying going on we'd have known about it in the wake of Andrew's disappearance
00:40:24
a post appeared on an online Forum her Ed by British Music Magazine Kang according to a user who identified
00:40:31
themselves only as Becks she attended the same school as Andrew and the two were in all of the same
00:40:38
classes beex wrote Andrew did get singled out a lot and only had a couple of friends people
00:40:47
bullied him they wonder why he ran away if true it offered a reason why Andrew had recently avoided taking the
00:40:56
School Bus it also explained why he ditched school completely sought a new beginning or took his own
00:41:04
life but as the weeks turned into months none of the belongings Andrew left home
00:41:10
with on September 14 surfaced if Andrew had gone to London or Beyond to end his own life chances were
00:41:18
that at least something would show up to prove this Theory the same went for the possibility
00:41:25
that Andrew had inoc ly traveled to London to play hookie for the day and been involved in a fatal
00:41:31
accident most accidents would attract attention yet no one had witnessed a thing the river temps runs through
00:41:40
Central London even if Andrew had intentionally jumped or accidentally fallen in someone would have noticed or
00:41:48
a body would have surfaced every potential outcome just raised even more questions
00:42:04
by the time Andrew Goen had been missing for a year a total of 122 unconfirmed sightings had come in from all over the
00:42:12
UK a church service was held in London to Mark the anniversary with Kevin and glennis Goen Penning an open letter to
00:42:20
their son that read we have all missed you so much since the day you left not a day goes by that you are not in
00:42:28
our minds constantly if you should ever read this forget about any water under the bridge and please have no fear about
00:42:36
making contact with us we do not care where you have been or what lifestyle you choose for yourself we only want to
00:42:44
know that you are safe and well and to help and support you if we can we remain as proud of you as we have always been
00:42:52
and love you deeply in conjunction with the anniversary Andrew's face was printed on milk
00:43:00
cartons in Iceland as part of a widespread missing person's campaign a month later Kevin and glenner
00:43:08
shared their story on BBC's popular current affairs program the one show within hours the intercom buzzed at
00:43:16
the lamster police station a market Town 150 Mi southeast of London the station was located in a
00:43:25
business park and the desk wasn't manned Around the Clock instead visitors could
00:43:31
announce their arrival via an intercom outside a male voice said he wanted to report a sighting of Andrew
00:43:38
gden an officer was sent down to take the details by the time they arrived the man
00:43:45
was gone shortly after an anonymous letter arrived at the BBC offices the author
00:43:53
claimed to have been the man who fled from lster station he said that Andrew had been spotted in the town of shury
00:44:01
150 Mi Northwest of London Police were unable to verify this claim or even confirm that the two
00:44:09
informants were one and the same adding to what Kevin Goen described as a new form of subtle
00:44:17
torture he told the Doncaster press Andrew knows that part of the world we've been on holiday there but we
00:44:25
don't really know enough perhaps there's somebody that knows something that we don't but the longer it goes the more we
00:44:33
get thinking he's probably either dead or not free if he's still alive I suspect that
00:44:40
he'll wait until his 16th birthday next July to show his hand Andrew's birthday came and went
00:44:48
with no breakthroughs since Kevin's suicide attempt in 2007 he'd been unable to work
00:44:55
plagued by depression anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder he did everything he could
00:45:02
think of to find his son he relayed messages to Andrew through the media begging him to let them know he was safe
00:45:11
he emailed schools across the country and appealed to the gay community telling Andrew that his family loved him
00:45:18
unconditionally no matter what he attended concerts and music festivals of bands he thought Andrew
00:45:25
might like handing out flyers and scanning the crowds for Anyone Who Bore a resemblance to his
00:45:31
son Kevin said I've really just run out of ideas now I suppose this is the last hope of
00:45:39
finding out what has happened an ongoing concern for the Goin was how much Andrew's appearance could
00:45:49
have changed in 2 years with the photos of him as a babyfaced 14-year-old still circulating
00:45:57
they worried that if Andrew was still alive he might be unrecognizable on the 2-year anniversary
00:46:05
of Andrew's disappearance his family worked with the charity organization missing people to produce several
00:46:11
computer generated images of what Andrew might look like with the passing of time the images brought some comfort to
00:46:19
his family with Kevin remarking it's reassuring to look at that and think yes I'd know you
00:46:29
anywhere by May 2011 3 and A2 years had passed with no developments the goens were growing
00:46:37
increasingly certain that Andrew hadn't run away Kevin told the BBC we just find it impossible to
00:46:46
conceive that he would allow us to go through all this for so long without even some kind of message to let us know
00:46:52
he's okay instead the absence of confirmed sightings led the family to believe that
00:47:00
Andrew must be dead with the help of a friend the goens approached a private firm that
00:47:07
specialized in advanced sonar technology typically used to locate drowning victims at
00:47:13
Sea they arranged for a roughly 7mile portion of the river temps to be searched from wage barrier to Tower
00:47:21
Bridge in central London the Sona revealed a dunen boat an upturned car and finally a
00:47:30
body it wasn't Andrew the results sparked mixed feelings for the goens Kevin remarked
00:47:39
that it was slightly positive because it raised a statistical possibility that Andrew was alive and well somewhere but
00:47:47
quote it still leaves us in this horrible ongoing NeverEnding limbo of just thinking why did you go
00:47:59
September 2017 marked 10 years since Andrew gon's disappearance police launched a fresh
00:48:06
appeal for information circulating Andrew's DNA fingerprints sent dental and medical records to authorities and
00:48:13
Health Care Professionals given that Andrew relied on strong prescription glasses if he was
00:48:19
still alive many believed he would have at the very least sought Optical Care at
00:48:24
some point perhaps making the switch to contact lenses to further alter his appearance a police spokesperson urged a
00:48:33
doctors dentists or hospital staff who might have treated a 24-year-old man with no records from the previous 10
00:48:40
years to come forward the call out was extended to any members of the general public who might
00:48:46
currently know Andrew Gosden but be unaware of his true identity appealing to Andrew directly
00:48:54
the police spokesperson and added please contact us completely confidentially and let us know you are
00:49:01
safe and well and we can reassure your family you have come to no harm Andrew Gosden became the face of
00:49:10
missing people's find every child campaign his age progression images appeared everywhere from doctor's
00:49:17
offices and hospitals to bus stations garbage trucks and shopping centers the goens even consulted with
00:49:25
the Behavioral Analyst to try and figure out why Andrew might have gone to London
00:49:29
on the day he went missing and whether there were any places they might not have thought to
00:49:35
check at the time statistics released by the National Crime agency revealed that
00:49:41
98% of children who go missing in England are found within one week this put Andrew gzen in the rare
00:49:50
2% he was one of 3,000 people in the United Kingdom who had been missing for more than 10
00:49:58
years to Mark the decade long mystery Kevin Goen raised money for missing people by holding a 10-hour vow of
00:50:06
silence 1 hour for every year his son had been missing around this time Michael Dixon
00:50:16
not his real name was chatting online with a young man who went by the username Andy
00:50:22
Ru Andy Ru said he needed help his partner had just walked out and he needed £200 to pay his
00:50:31
rent Michael noticed that Andy Rue was listed as living in Lincoln a city in the English
00:50:38
Midlands Michael didn't live nearby but he offered to transfer Andy Ru some money Andy Ru declined the offer he
00:50:48
claimed he didn't have a bank account because he'd left home at the age of 14 Michael asked him why wondering if it
00:50:56
was because there had been problems at home Andy Ru responded no I just felt like it he then cut the conversation
00:51:07
short Michael Dixon had seen the ongoing publicity about Andrew gon's disappearance and began wondering if
00:51:15
Andy Ru and Andrew could be one and the same he reached out to the Goen family whose interest was immediately
00:51:24
sparked when Andrew was a kid his small bouncy demeanor earned him the family nickname Ru as in
00:51:32
kangaroo although it could have been a coincidence the goans were taking no chances they notified police about this
00:51:40
online interaction and an investigation was launched Andrew's family met with Michael Dixon and traveled to Lincoln
00:51:49
they made inquiries with locals and thousands of missing persons leaflets were distributed around town
00:51:57
four possible sightings were reported but none of them turned out to be Andrew Goen meanwhile police made inquiries
00:52:06
with the chat provider the name of which has not been made public the website administrators had recently made changes
00:52:14
to their system during which a lot of the user data was lost no information about who owned the Andy Ru profile was
00:52:22
able to be ascertained the goens continu to work with Specialists to release age progression
00:52:31
images of what Andrew might look like as the years went by if he was still alive investigators
00:52:38
believed that the best chance of finding him was the distinctive double Ridge on
00:52:43
his right ear if photos of Andrew were posted on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram facial
00:52:50
recognition software could pick up this unique detail the possibility that Andrew could have
00:52:58
left home that Friday to attend a concert in London before meeting F play hadn't been
00:53:04
excluded since 2015 Metropolitan Police had begun working with a team of so-called super
00:53:12
recognizers these are individuals with innate above average skill for spotting faces in a
00:53:19
crowd police appealed for anyone who had attended any concerts around London on the weekend of September 14 2007 to come
00:53:27
forward with any photos or videos they might have taken so that the super recognizers could scan them for anyone
00:53:34
who looked like Andrew in early 2020 the Goin received a word that Andrew's favorite band slipnot
00:53:43
was touring the UK if Andrew was still alive and living of his own free will his family felt
00:53:51
certain he'd attend one of the gigs Andrew's missing person posters were displayed at the events including at a
00:53:58
meet and greet with the band's guitarist Mick Thompson no new leads were generated but
00:54:07
the ongoing search efforts continued to catch the attention of the public who remained gripped by the case 13 years
00:54:14
later Andrew goon's disappearance remained a hot topic for online sleuths each with their own Theory as to what
00:54:21
had happened every possibility had been considered from Andrew falling victim to
00:54:27
a serial killer to him traveling to London to buy the latest PlayStation Portable before an incident
00:54:34
occurred then in January 2022 a story appeared in the news that no one saw coming south Yorkshire police confirmed
00:54:47
that on Wednesday December 8 2021 an arrest had been made in relation to the Andrew Goen case
00:54:55
two unnamed men aged 38 and 45 had been taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping and human
00:55:04
trafficking the older of the two was also arrested for possessing indecent images of
00:55:10
children police seized a number of electronic devices from the pair but they said that a comprehensive review of
00:55:17
the devices could take up to a year both men were therefore released while the inquiries continued
00:55:25
police refused to disclose any further details telling the media our priority at this time is
00:55:32
supporting Andrew's family while we work through this new line of inquiry we are in close contact with
00:55:39
them and they ask that their privacy is respected as our investigation continues almost 2 years passed before
00:55:49
any sort of update in late September 2023 South Yorkshire police announced that the two
00:55:57
unnamed suspects in the Andrew Goen case had been eliminated from their investigation a spokesperson said they
00:56:05
were confident the two men played no part adding the investigation remains open and active and we would urge anyone
00:56:14
with information to come [Music] forward Kevin Goen told that thin air podcast that if his son's disappearance
00:56:27
has taught him anything it's that a child can have the most secure and comfortable life and still think the
00:56:33
grass might be greener on the other side he is now an ambassador for the charity missing people educating young
00:56:41
people about how to stay safe if they are thinking about running away from home or what to do if they already have
00:56:48
and want to return Kevin told woman's own magazine I hate hate the idea that Andrew might have had a problem he felt
00:56:57
he couldn't tell me that's why I implore all parents talk to your children let them know they can tell you anything and
00:57:07
tell them if they ever consider running away or make a foolish decision there are people who can give them the proper
00:57:13
support they need although Andrew's bank account hasn't been touched since his final
00:57:20
withdrawal on September 14 2007 his family to top it up just in case his room has since been repainted
00:57:30
and decorated but his presence is still strong his favorite t-shirts are still sitting in a drawer and his prized the
00:57:38
gem collection displayed on a shelf the goens have never changed their locks just in
00:57:46
case July 10 2023 marked what would have been Andrew's 30th birthday he had now been missing for for
00:57:54
longer than he was [Music] around throughout these years Kevin Gosden continued to nurture the acorns
00:58:04
that he helped Andrew plant when his son was just 10 years old just as Andrew predicted several of
00:58:11
the acorns sprouted and grew into miniature oak trees Kevin gradually replanted them
00:58:17
over the years keeping one in his own back Garden by Andrew's 30th birthday the oak
00:58:24
tree stood at 6 ft tall and had sprouted acorns of its own on his blog Kevin wrote as Andrew's oak tree Bears the
00:58:35
fruit of the acorn we hope that awareness of his case Bears the fruit that others are helped to find Positive
00:58:41
Solutions in their lives and that other families are spared the pain that too many of us live with every
00:58:50
day in the 16 years since Andrew Goen uncharacteristic Bally caught the train to London and mysteriously went missing
00:58:58
no evidence has ever emerged to indicate whether he is alive or dead and none of
00:59:03
the belongings he left home with have ever been found Kevin Goen finds comfort in the
00:59:09
fact that one of his last memories with Andrew was a happy one the night before Andrew went missing the father and son
00:59:17
did the dishes together after dinner as they stood in the kitchen with tea towels in hand Kevin gave Andrew a quick
00:59:24
hug and told him I love you as Kevin wrote on his blog I am glad that is one of the last
00:59:33
things I ever said to him Andrew is never far from his parents' Minds racked with ambiguous
00:59:42
loss Kevin ashamedly admitted to the son that he sometimes felt envious of parents whose children had been murdered
00:59:50
because at least they had closure he described the experence experience of not knowing as an endless
00:59:57
cycle of horror explaining the pain is like when you have a little kid and you turn your back
01:00:04
for 2 seconds and they vanish but then you find them again that horrible panic-stricken gut-wrenching feeling you
01:00:12
have in that moment goes on and on and on forever for us glennis once described it as someone
01:00:20
coming up to you and sticking a knife in your guts normally would hurt but the knife would be removed and the wound
01:00:27
would be stitched up and heal after a period of time with this someone has stuck the
01:00:34
knife in but you have to walk around with it and it's always there always hurting and getting twisted frequently
01:00:42
and [Music] [Music] regularly [Music]